The NZ COVID Tracer App is evolving to better reflect the current phase of the pandemic response, the Ministry of Health announced today.
The app, which creates a digital diary of places people have visited through the use of a QR code on people’s smartphone, now has more than 3.6 million registered users.
An update to the app announced today will see the registration feature deleted and also the removal of all personal information shared by people when they first registered.
The Ministry’s Deputy Director-General of Data and Digital, Shayne Hunter says the changes to the app better reflect its current use and contribution to the response.
“This is also part of our commitment to protect people’s personal data and it’s important to reassure people that contact tracers can still use other data sources if needed.”
“The app was developed comprehensively but quickly as one of the tools in our defence against COVID-19 and I’m incredibly proud of the product we’ve developed and the teams who’ve helped to develop it,” says Mr Hunter.
The app was developed in 2020 to provide New Zealanders with the opportunity to record a diary of the places they’ve visited and help contact tracers to identify locations of interest and other potential contacts of confirmed cases.
Earlier this year, the NZ COVID Tracer app won an award for Best User Experience at the Designers Institute of NZ Best Design Awards and a separate award for Use in Government at the NZ Open Source Awards.
